2008 Woodie Awards
Alabama should keep early primary
Jeff Poor
News Editor
Issue date: 3/5/07 Section: Opinion
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SELMA - Presidential fever finally arrived in Alabama on Sunday. Both Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y,. were in Selma to commemorate the 42nd Anniversary of historic crossing of the Edmond Pettus Bridge referred to as "Bloody Sunday."
The pre-election cycle has geared up earlier than usual and now Alabama is getting a little of the attention. The date for the early primary, which is still up in the air as of Sunday, is set for Mardi Gras 2008. Alabama will now be getting its share of presidential hopeful visits. Before, we had to rely on candidates coming to Pensacola late in the election cycle focusing on the swing state's electoral votes to get a glimpse of the future president. Florida will still most likely get more play than Alabama, but finally we're getting some attention.
All of this will be true, unless of course, Alabama moves its election date because of the aforementioned Mardi Gras holiday and that would be a terrible mistake. This state has long been put on the political backburner, and now we have a shot at national political prominence, yet we seem willing to forfeit it in the name of beads and moon pies.
Mobile has often played the role of the forgotten stepchild in Alabama. We're somewhat isolated, separated by nearly 200 miles of barren interstate between us and Montgomery, and making the state less relevant in 2008 election could certainly drive even more of a wedge between us and the other leaders of Alabama.
Other factors could figure into this equation also. The Department of Justice might not approve of a Mardi Gras presidential primary date, because as the Press-Register reported Sunday, it stands to interfere with voting procedures in majority-black precincts. They could be difficult to access with all of our wonderful Mardi Gras festivities on Fat Tuesday.
It's obvious that people in the rest of this state do not understand the importance of Mardi Gras to our wonderful city. The Department of Justice may not understand it either. To them, Mardi Gras is more of a New Orleans thing. When discussing our Fat Tuesday primary dilemma with other fellow Republican constituents throughout the state, they have difficulty grasping the significance of Fat Tuesday in Mobile.
The pre-election cycle has geared up earlier than usual and now Alabama is getting a little of the attention. The date for the early primary, which is still up in the air as of Sunday, is set for Mardi Gras 2008. Alabama will now be getting its share of presidential hopeful visits. Before, we had to rely on candidates coming to Pensacola late in the election cycle focusing on the swing state's electoral votes to get a glimpse of the future president. Florida will still most likely get more play than Alabama, but finally we're getting some attention.
All of this will be true, unless of course, Alabama moves its election date because of the aforementioned Mardi Gras holiday and that would be a terrible mistake. This state has long been put on the political backburner, and now we have a shot at national political prominence, yet we seem willing to forfeit it in the name of beads and moon pies.
Mobile has often played the role of the forgotten stepchild in Alabama. We're somewhat isolated, separated by nearly 200 miles of barren interstate between us and Montgomery, and making the state less relevant in 2008 election could certainly drive even more of a wedge between us and the other leaders of Alabama.
Other factors could figure into this equation also. The Department of Justice might not approve of a Mardi Gras presidential primary date, because as the Press-Register reported Sunday, it stands to interfere with voting procedures in majority-black precincts. They could be difficult to access with all of our wonderful Mardi Gras festivities on Fat Tuesday.
It's obvious that people in the rest of this state do not understand the importance of Mardi Gras to our wonderful city. The Department of Justice may not understand it either. To them, Mardi Gras is more of a New Orleans thing. When discussing our Fat Tuesday primary dilemma with other fellow Republican constituents throughout the state, they have difficulty grasping the significance of Fat Tuesday in Mobile.
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